盡管大部分同學(xué)可以借鑒在初中至高中階段的語文考試中"閱讀賞析"的部分知識(shí)和技巧，但考慮到新SAT寫作的答題方式為一篇完整的作文而非簡答題或選擇題，學(xué)生在對(duì)應(yīng)兩者的做題思路上有著根本的不同：語文的閱讀賞析中，考生只需根據(jù)設(shè)定好的題目和相應(yīng)區(qū)間做出回答;但在新SAT寫作中，問卷中"請(qǐng)寫一篇作者是如何說服讀者其主要觀點(diǎn)的文章" 這種籠統(tǒng)而單一的要求不僅沒有明確的答題方式，也沒有清楚的答題范圍。這種"自問自答"的出題形式是北美文學(xué)課程中常用的考場(chǎng)方式，雖然賦予了學(xué)生極大的作答自由，但是也對(duì)學(xué)生對(duì)于文學(xué)作品的分析任務(wù)(Analytical Task)的理解提出較高的要求。

 

分析任務(wù)(Analytical Task)為何?

 

分析任務(wù)就是要求學(xué)生針對(duì)其選擇的文章中某一段落或細(xì)節(jié)進(jìn)行修辭和含義等方面的分析，進(jìn)而說明作者是如何在這一段落或細(xì)節(jié)中論證其主論點(diǎn)或分論點(diǎn)的。雖然各種文學(xué)分析考試的主要要求十分相似，但是每個(gè)考試的得分細(xì)則仍稍有不同。標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化的新SAT寫作考試對(duì)于其分析任務(wù)得分也有著明確地規(guī)定。以下是新SAT官方指南中所給出的寫作分析子項(xiàng)分的部分評(píng)分標(biāo)準(zhǔn)：

 

Analysis 4 (3):

The response offers an insightful (effective) analysis of the source text and demonstrates a sophisticated (N/A) understanding of the analytical task. The response offers a thorough, well-considered (competent) evaluation of the author's use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements.

SAT官方提出的要求是學(xué)生要對(duì)源文進(jìn)行分析并展示出對(duì)于分析任務(wù)的理解，同時(shí)也要給出對(duì)于作者所使用的各種文學(xué)特點(diǎn)的解析。看似簡單的要求要完全做到實(shí)際上相當(dāng)不易。

4分與3分的主要區(qū)別在哪?

評(píng)分標(biāo)準(zhǔn)本身已是言簡意賅，而中對(duì)于4分與3分的區(qū)別則更顯模棱兩可，僅把 insightful 和 thorough 這兩個(gè)抽象形容詞替換成為了 effective 和 competent 并去掉了 sophisticated。被改掉的三個(gè)單詞雖然意義不一，但是都反映了一個(gè)核心要求：4分的分析任務(wù)必須反映出文章的縱深。也就是說，學(xué)生在分析一個(gè)段落或細(xì)節(jié)的時(shí)候不能只局限在單一的區(qū)間內(nèi)分析其字面含義，更要從全文的角度考察這個(gè)的段落或細(xì)節(jié)的綜合意義。雖然4分和3分的區(qū)別絕不僅于此，但是很多時(shí)候兩者的的差異體現(xiàn)了段落內(nèi)和段落間分析的差異。

分析任務(wù)的實(shí)際反映

抽象的評(píng)分標(biāo)準(zhǔn)需要在實(shí)際的文字中反映出來。這里我們借用官方指南中前總統(tǒng) Jimmy Carter 的 Foreword to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land, A Photographic Journey 來進(jìn)一步展示分析任務(wù)的優(yōu)劣。文章細(xì)節(jié)如下：

Thesis: The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industry.

Location: The 2nd of 9 paragraphs

Detail: More than a decade ago, [my wife] Rosalynn and I had the fortunate opportunity to camp and hike in these regions of the Arctic Refuge. During bright July days, we walked along ancient caribou trails and studied the brilliant mosaic of wildflowers, mosses, and lichens that hugged the tundra. There was a timeless quality about this great land. As the never-setting sun circled above the horizon, we watched muskox, those shaggy survivors of the Ice Age, lumber along braided rivers that meander toward the Beaufort Sea.

片段中可進(jìn)行分析的文學(xué)特點(diǎn)包括：Anecdote，Personification，Descriptive Language。其中，Personification 是我們重點(diǎn)分析的文學(xué)特點(diǎn)，故在分析中我們需要使用到其分析功能句式：The author ascribes/attributes (human traits, emotions, behaviors …) to (an object or an animal)。

 

1st Attempt:

The author uses his personal anecdote to start his argument. Specifically, he personifies the "brilliant mosaic" when describing what he saw. By using the word "hugged," the author attributes/ascribes a human behavior to the arctic plants, therefore demonstrating the beauty of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Reading: 2~3 (Partial ~ Proficient) + Analysis: 2 (Partial)

該文段以較短的篇幅帶出了源文的關(guān)鍵詞，并寫出了功能句式，但是卻缺乏實(shí)際內(nèi)容，讓讀者一頭霧水。無論對(duì) personal anecdote，brilliant mosaic，還是 human behavior，作者都點(diǎn)到輒止，缺乏進(jìn)一步的說明和解析。同時(shí)，文段對(duì)于原文邏輯的分析過簡：hug → arctic beauty，忽略了其中的變化過程。無論從這些關(guān)鍵詞的語意還是文學(xué)特點(diǎn)本身上都無法給出 competent evaluation，更不要說 effective analysis 了。綜合文段的閱讀和分析任務(wù)情況，文段只能夠獲得 Partial 的評(píng)價(jià)。

2nd Attempt:

The author recounts his arctic journey with his wife more than a decade ago to start his argument. In descriptive visual language, the author presents the audience with an authentic picture of the Arctic Refuge, with personification deliberately employed to appeal to audience's senses. By depicting the "brilliant mosaic of wildflowers, mosses, and lichens that hugged the tundra," the author attributes/ascribes a human behavior to the arctic plants, ones that covered the tundra so well that it almost feels like that they were holding the tundra. Through the presentation of what he witnessed during his arctic trip, the author is therefore able to not only display the beauty of the National Wildlife Refuge, but also convince the audience of its importance to the environment.

Reading: 3~4 (Proficient ~ Advanced) + Analysis: 3 (Proficient)

該文段的篇幅較上一文段有明顯增長，且增長的主要部位就是上一文段所缺少的對(duì)于 personal anecdote，brilliant mosaic，和 human behavior 的具體說明和解釋。同時(shí)，本文段還比較豐富地還原了源文的邏輯：hug → cover → arctic beauty → environmental importance，不僅能夠體現(xiàn)作者所寫事物的特點(diǎn)和所使用文學(xué)特點(diǎn)的修辭意義，還能夠很好地展示作者的寫作目的。綜合來說，competent evaluation 和 effective analysis 能讓文段獲得 Proficient 的評(píng)價(jià)。

 

3rd Attempt:

As the onset of his argument, the author provides specific details from his arctic journey with his wife more than a decade ago to allow the audience to envisage the Arctic Refuge. Through an environmental delineation "the brilliant mosaic of wildflowers, mosses, and lichens that hugged the tundra," the author attributes/ascribes a human behavior to the arctic plants that shrouded the arctic ground, revealing the abundance of the arctic vegetation. In doing so, the author not only displays the natural beauty of the National Wildlife Refuge, but also convinces the audience of its ecological value. In addition, by ensuring the audience the ecological value at the early stage of the passage, the author foreshadows the imminent danger from industrial development threatening the arctic refuge, encouraging the audience to raise immediate concern about the Arctic Refuge.

Reading: 4 (Advanced) + Analysis: 4 (Advanced)

該文段的篇幅與上一文段相當(dāng)，說明段落長度并非決定閱讀或分析任務(wù)好壞的主要因素。文段中對(duì)于 personal anecdote，brilliant mosaic，和 human behavior 的說明和解釋大致與上一文段相同，而不同的地方主要集中在本文段后部，在解釋和分析文本內(nèi)容本身的基礎(chǔ)上，還增加了文本對(duì)讀者的效果和影響。另外，本文段進(jìn)一步完善了源文的邏輯：hug → shroud → abundance → arctic beauty → ecological value → imminent danger，在很好地解釋了作者是如何在本段中寫出 Arctic Refuge 的生態(tài)意義的同時(shí)，還解釋了本細(xì)節(jié)放置于全文第二段所起的結(jié)構(gòu)性意義，即預(yù)示后文所寫的環(huán)境問題。而這種縱觀全文的解釋，也就是段間聯(lián)系的解析，能讓本文段獲得 Advanced 的評(píng)價(jià)。